Gree
1998
This is my first time replaying this since I was a tiny child and uhhhh I guess I don't really like this one all that much.
Sonic controls well enough but there's a certain "walking on eggshells"-ness to Sonic's movement that (barring complete mastery) feels like the most reliable way to play him, I rarely felt confident in using homing attacks to blitz through a level at high speeds as it was almost always more responsive to let your jump slowly reach its apex and then more methodically dash when you knew exactly how Sonic would react. However once you start doing this you'll find that his (and the rest of the playable cast's) levels just feel trivial to play. They're just breezy enough to not be particularly interesting or exciting. That is when the camera, collision and homing detection decides to do what you want, which is most of the time but shit broke frequently enough for me to not understand why someone would give this game a 9-10/10.
Because y'know excellent games generally don't do this.
Music ranges from pretty good to great but it's completely outclassed by SA2 in virtually every way I care about. Like... come on... Metal Harbor...Supporting Me...Aquatic Mine...Pyramid Cave... Get real
To give SA1's OST Some Credit though my standouts are Red Mountain, E102's theme and Unbound for being absolute bangers (the character themes in general are pretty good) and Crush 40 is always amazing.
Unbound and E102's story unearthed a whole treasure trove of nostalgic emotion within me and replaying him was probably my favourite part of the whole thing.
Virtually everything that's good about this game is seemingly better in SA2, although I am prepared to eat my words if that doesn't hold up to my childhood impression either upon replaying. Sorry in advance.
Sonic controls well enough but there's a certain "walking on eggshells"-ness to Sonic's movement that (barring complete mastery) feels like the most reliable way to play him, I rarely felt confident in using homing attacks to blitz through a level at high speeds as it was almost always more responsive to let your jump slowly reach its apex and then more methodically dash when you knew exactly how Sonic would react. However once you start doing this you'll find that his (and the rest of the playable cast's) levels just feel trivial to play. They're just breezy enough to not be particularly interesting or exciting. That is when the camera, collision and homing detection decides to do what you want, which is most of the time but shit broke frequently enough for me to not understand why someone would give this game a 9-10/10.
Because y'know excellent games generally don't do this.
Music ranges from pretty good to great but it's completely outclassed by SA2 in virtually every way I care about. Like... come on... Metal Harbor...Supporting Me...Aquatic Mine...Pyramid Cave... Get real
To give SA1's OST Some Credit though my standouts are Red Mountain, E102's theme and Unbound for being absolute bangers (the character themes in general are pretty good) and Crush 40 is always amazing.
Unbound and E102's story unearthed a whole treasure trove of nostalgic emotion within me and replaying him was probably my favourite part of the whole thing.
Virtually everything that's good about this game is seemingly better in SA2, although I am prepared to eat my words if that doesn't hold up to my childhood impression either upon replaying. Sorry in advance.
A game with a story that's half yakuza 3 and half yakuza 6 is a mostly enjoyable time
Erm...kyoudais... wasn't this game supposed to be about Ichiban...?
Hawaii's alright. I take issue with how they utilize it more so than the location itself on paper. It has hardly any distinct locations that are utilized in main story scenes, which makes it a lot harder to build a mental image of this 3D space. However, I must add, every enemy NPC speaks in generic 'guy we grabbed off the street' ps2-core english one liners and it is brilliant. I was smiling from ear to ear every time an American yelled "I'LL SUE YOU" to me or when a bleeding enemy said "I JUST DONATED TO A BLOOD BANK!" etc. It felt like I was in America. I've never seen a more damning example in favor of how non-English battle lines should be subtitled in English (why aren't we doing this yet? 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim did this 5 years ago)
This game is very odd. It's a good time. I love a lot of it, but the stuff I don't like is unusually frustrating and I haven't been annoyed at a story in this series (wait does Lost Judgment count . . .) since yakuza 3 or 5. The Yakuza 3-ness of the story structure is really funny actually, trust me. In both games I thought to myself "Ok now the story is going somewhere" before realizing two chapters remained until the game was over. Also one of the central antagonists is maybe some of the worst shit the series has ever seen, I love it.
Virtually everything except the main story is a clear step up from Yakuza: Like a Dragon. It's so good that the game is worth playing despite the main story, even in a game genre I primarily play for its sense of adventure across its main storyline. There's still a lot of narrative enjoyment to be had, primarily in everything they decided to do with Kiryu's nostalgia-core gameplay systems as well as the optional added characterization of your party members. I'm also finding it harder and harder to be pissy about Kiryu's story not concluding by Yakuza 6 (a game I love) when they decide to add even more excellent closure with every new title that features him.
Yamai is the best guy ever, he is the true number one and I love him.
I'm excited to see how the nuanced story of Wong is developed in future installments!
Erm...kyoudais... wasn't this game supposed to be about Ichiban...?
Hawaii's alright. I take issue with how they utilize it more so than the location itself on paper. It has hardly any distinct locations that are utilized in main story scenes, which makes it a lot harder to build a mental image of this 3D space. However, I must add, every enemy NPC speaks in generic 'guy we grabbed off the street' ps2-core english one liners and it is brilliant. I was smiling from ear to ear every time an American yelled "I'LL SUE YOU" to me or when a bleeding enemy said "I JUST DONATED TO A BLOOD BANK!" etc. It felt like I was in America. I've never seen a more damning example in favor of how non-English battle lines should be subtitled in English (why aren't we doing this yet? 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim did this 5 years ago)
This game is very odd. It's a good time. I love a lot of it, but the stuff I don't like is unusually frustrating and I haven't been annoyed at a story in this series (wait does Lost Judgment count . . .) since yakuza 3 or 5. The Yakuza 3-ness of the story structure is really funny actually, trust me. In both games I thought to myself "Ok now the story is going somewhere" before realizing two chapters remained until the game was over. Also one of the central antagonists is maybe some of the worst shit the series has ever seen, I love it.
Virtually everything except the main story is a clear step up from Yakuza: Like a Dragon. It's so good that the game is worth playing despite the main story, even in a game genre I primarily play for its sense of adventure across its main storyline. There's still a lot of narrative enjoyment to be had, primarily in everything they decided to do with Kiryu's nostalgia-core gameplay systems as well as the optional added characterization of your party members. I'm also finding it harder and harder to be pissy about Kiryu's story not concluding by Yakuza 6 (a game I love) when they decide to add even more excellent closure with every new title that features him.
Yamai is the best guy ever, he is the true number one and I love him.
I'm excited to see how the nuanced story of Wong is developed in future installments!
1997
IT'S GOOD
It's a well-known fact that anyone who ever talks about a Final Fantasy game either hasn't finished it or is just misremembering massive chunks of it from their childhood, so I am here to bravely and selflessly lay down the law to the haters and lovers of FF7.
First of all: It is okay to call Cloud a moody protagonist. No it is not something exclusive to Advent Children and no it is not untrue just because he says "Let's Mosey" 25 minutes before the credits roll.
This isn't a bad thing! I liked Cloud a lot and his story is one of the best parts about this game.
Second of all: Can we please stop saying this isn't a dour and self-serious narrative? It's possibly one of the bleakest settings in the series and the narrative tackles various internally and externally apocalyptic subjects. That's not a bad thing! I just don't think we have to pretend that having incidentally silly or stupid moments like a chase sequence with a giant cartoon furby in Gold Saucer, a snowboarding sequence right after a serious and heavy plot development and being able to race chocobos as the doomsday clock is ticking aren't just tonal issues with the game rather than some deliberate attempt to make the game feel silly and light-hearted.
The game's inconsistent tone is one of the bigger things I take issue with. Also anything involving the Huge Materia is very shoddy and probably shouldn't have been in the game.
Also this isn't really the game's fault but my face button inputs were fucked for bad reasons during my entire playthrough so I was stressed and confused during most minigames
The dog is the best character he's awesome
It's a well-known fact that anyone who ever talks about a Final Fantasy game either hasn't finished it or is just misremembering massive chunks of it from their childhood, so I am here to bravely and selflessly lay down the law to the haters and lovers of FF7.
First of all: It is okay to call Cloud a moody protagonist. No it is not something exclusive to Advent Children and no it is not untrue just because he says "Let's Mosey" 25 minutes before the credits roll.
This isn't a bad thing! I liked Cloud a lot and his story is one of the best parts about this game.
Second of all: Can we please stop saying this isn't a dour and self-serious narrative? It's possibly one of the bleakest settings in the series and the narrative tackles various internally and externally apocalyptic subjects. That's not a bad thing! I just don't think we have to pretend that having incidentally silly or stupid moments like a chase sequence with a giant cartoon furby in Gold Saucer, a snowboarding sequence right after a serious and heavy plot development and being able to race chocobos as the doomsday clock is ticking aren't just tonal issues with the game rather than some deliberate attempt to make the game feel silly and light-hearted.
The game's inconsistent tone is one of the bigger things I take issue with. Also anything involving the Huge Materia is very shoddy and probably shouldn't have been in the game.
Also this isn't really the game's fault but my face button inputs were fucked for bad reasons during my entire playthrough so I was stressed and confused during most minigames
The dog is the best character he's awesome
2019
I'm often too hesitant to rate or review multiplayer titles, it just makes a lot more sense when it's a single player title that I can complete before writing down my thoughts.
That being said this game is just too good not to talk about, the hyperspecific vibe and aesthetic they're going for is portrayed with obscene finesse. You're monster hunting cowboys in the bayou!
This game may already be perfect at what it's trying to be, but I would probably like it more if the interactions you have in PvE encounters were a bit more interesting, especially when blending it with PvP. I also wish I got more use out of some of the more specialized tools the player has access to. I still haven't really found a use for the tools that distract enemies. When should I want to do that Crytek
That being said this game is just too good not to talk about, the hyperspecific vibe and aesthetic they're going for is portrayed with obscene finesse. You're monster hunting cowboys in the bayou!
This game may already be perfect at what it's trying to be, but I would probably like it more if the interactions you have in PvE encounters were a bit more interesting, especially when blending it with PvP. I also wish I got more use out of some of the more specialized tools the player has access to. I still haven't really found a use for the tools that distract enemies. When should I want to do that Crytek
2023
This game is so good that I just recently remembered that it's still an early access title and is presumably going to have a lot more going for it in the future.
The Bracken alone is good enough to build a game around! I like the Bracken!!
The Bracken alone is good enough to build a game around! I like the Bracken!!
YAAAAAAAAAAAWN ough.... where am I...? What was I doing..?
Oh I finished Assassin's Creed Rogue...? I miss Black Flag... Alright.
It's got some cool stuff in it. It's got some stupid shit in it. More than anything the game forced me to reckon with the series as a whole, if I thought this game was just alright, how much worse have the older games aged . . .
Like, I've grown fond of the Animus as a concept, delving into the past to find answers by reliving the intricacies of people's lives. It's a fun idea, ripe for mysteries that interplay with a past and present timeline. It's a shame that the way this premise is used to tell the boringest stories ever?
What's this review about again..? Oh, Assassin's Creed Rogue.
Alright, it's really getting on my nerves how terribly these games control. When they work the way the game intends it's all well and good, but several times an hour my player character Ex-Assassin Current-Templar Shay Patrick Cormac will just forget how to climb and leap off edges, completely ruining any sincere attempt at stealth on my part. At which point I may as well just combo everyone to death because really what's the point of staying hidden when you're never in any actual danger?
Even with these animation-driven controls the game is occasionally in two minds about how convincing it wants to be in Shay Patrick Cormac's realistically presented murder-action. Want to perform a well positioned double assassination from above? First awkwardly wiggle above them until the game feels like both enemies are available as targets for your double assassination move (as indicated by a highlight). Secondly perform your move and leap at them while observing how a split second before you land, the game abruptly contorts the enemy positions to align with your two weapons because it has to perform the designated animation correctly.
Playing games where the player character and the enemies don't react responsively makes me feel like an asshole.
Eh, whatever, I don't want to talk about Assassin's Creed Rogue, I'm so sleepy and tired...
"Hmm...how do we tell this morally grey story of how a man abandons his previous allegiances to switch sides to his former enemies... Uhh...... I guess we can have some kind of orb... that literally makes the entire city of Lisbon, Portugal explode... Eh? Is that something..?" - Unknown Narrative Designer, 201X
Oh I finished Assassin's Creed Rogue...? I miss Black Flag... Alright.
It's got some cool stuff in it. It's got some stupid shit in it. More than anything the game forced me to reckon with the series as a whole, if I thought this game was just alright, how much worse have the older games aged . . .
Like, I've grown fond of the Animus as a concept, delving into the past to find answers by reliving the intricacies of people's lives. It's a fun idea, ripe for mysteries that interplay with a past and present timeline. It's a shame that the way this premise is used to tell the boringest stories ever?
What's this review about again..? Oh, Assassin's Creed Rogue.
Alright, it's really getting on my nerves how terribly these games control. When they work the way the game intends it's all well and good, but several times an hour my player character Ex-Assassin Current-Templar Shay Patrick Cormac will just forget how to climb and leap off edges, completely ruining any sincere attempt at stealth on my part. At which point I may as well just combo everyone to death because really what's the point of staying hidden when you're never in any actual danger?
Even with these animation-driven controls the game is occasionally in two minds about how convincing it wants to be in Shay Patrick Cormac's realistically presented murder-action. Want to perform a well positioned double assassination from above? First awkwardly wiggle above them until the game feels like both enemies are available as targets for your double assassination move (as indicated by a highlight). Secondly perform your move and leap at them while observing how a split second before you land, the game abruptly contorts the enemy positions to align with your two weapons because it has to perform the designated animation correctly.
Playing games where the player character and the enemies don't react responsively makes me feel like an asshole.
Eh, whatever, I don't want to talk about Assassin's Creed Rogue, I'm so sleepy and tired...
"Hmm...how do we tell this morally grey story of how a man abandons his previous allegiances to switch sides to his former enemies... Uhh...... I guess we can have some kind of orb... that literally makes the entire city of Lisbon, Portugal explode... Eh? Is that something..?" - Unknown Narrative Designer, 201X
Jackie told me, the player: "You are trying to kill me."
2019
sometimes the joy derived from play and the little things in life is meaning enough
LIKE A DRAGON GAIDEN: THE MAN WHO WAS BASED
This somehow feels like a return to form even though this series has been at its peak since Yakuza 0. Maybe it was cause I really didn't like Lost Judgment...huh.
Anyways, Ki- uh I mean Joryu Jazuma (that's his actual full name in this game) feels excellent to play as. The substories are excellent as usual. You know how this works!
It's downright hilarious whenever a character calls Joryu Jazuma by another name and he has to awkwardly go "uh....no that's not me...". It keeps happening, why does it keep happening? Surely this could've been avoided.
The Man Who Erased His Name spends a lot of this game being reminded that he didn't really erase his name, but they do call him based, which he is. He's The Man Who Was Based.
Uh I'm kind of waffling right now but the game has some excellent Joryu moments that made me laugh a lot and the final boss was surprisingly well executed despite my misgivings. It had everything I liked about Yakuza 5's final boss without all the stuff that sucked.
The game also surprisingly has one of the best final scenes in the entire series, that alone makes me want to rate this game unreasonably high, but for now it gets to be a 4/5, gotta keep a cool head for Joryu Jazuma, ya know?
This somehow feels like a return to form even though this series has been at its peak since Yakuza 0. Maybe it was cause I really didn't like Lost Judgment...huh.
Anyways, Ki- uh I mean Joryu Jazuma (that's his actual full name in this game) feels excellent to play as. The substories are excellent as usual. You know how this works!
It's downright hilarious whenever a character calls Joryu Jazuma by another name and he has to awkwardly go "uh....no that's not me...". It keeps happening, why does it keep happening? Surely this could've been avoided.
The Man Who Erased His Name spends a lot of this game being reminded that he didn't really erase his name, but they do call him based, which he is. He's The Man Who Was Based.
Uh I'm kind of waffling right now but the game has some excellent Joryu moments that made me laugh a lot and the final boss was surprisingly well executed despite my misgivings. It had everything I liked about Yakuza 5's final boss without all the stuff that sucked.
The game also surprisingly has one of the best final scenes in the entire series, that alone makes me want to rate this game unreasonably high, but for now it gets to be a 4/5, gotta keep a cool head for Joryu Jazuma, ya know?
I like it just about as much as the PS4 original
The new additions to the combat are cool
Miles is good
The villain sucks
You could palpably feel the writers bending over backwards to avoid the tedious nature of a conflict rooted in "it was just a misunderstanding!!" only to end up making the actual conflict much worse somehow
The new additions to the combat are cool
Miles is good
The villain sucks
You could palpably feel the writers bending over backwards to avoid the tedious nature of a conflict rooted in "it was just a misunderstanding!!" only to end up making the actual conflict much worse somehow
Me 1 hour into replaying this in coop: Wow this is so goat goaty, this is an easy 9/10, maybe a 10/10. Why did I even give it an 8/10
Me 5 hours into replaying this in coop: why are the levels so long, why are the enemies so tanky, why does this shitty (awesome) 20 minute long jumping challenge reset both players if one player falls, why are the sound effects mixed so loudly that I have to turn them down halfway just to be able to enjoy the music properly
feels like most of this game's problems could've been resolved by segmenting each stage into at least 2 levels each and giving the player some additional way of interacting with enemies (a parry perhaps...?)
Aside from that the game is still excellent when it comes to the writing, presentation and music. It's ballsy, soulful, introspective and masterfully develops Travis Touchdown as a character while also being a tribute to (indie) games all over. It's also pretty funny to play coop and arguably the best way to experience it.
Anyway, now I'm going back to listening to 'Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes OST - Theme of Killer Marathon Feat. Marushow,surapurutame' on repeat, which is coincidentally what I was doing before replaying this game as well.
Check the game out (after playing NMH1 and 2) and crank the music up to 100 and the SFX down to 40, then return to this review and thank me please!!
And as Travis Touchdown always says (lest we forget):
10 HOURS OF GAMING A DAY!!!
Me 5 hours into replaying this in coop: why are the levels so long, why are the enemies so tanky, why does this shitty (awesome) 20 minute long jumping challenge reset both players if one player falls, why are the sound effects mixed so loudly that I have to turn them down halfway just to be able to enjoy the music properly
feels like most of this game's problems could've been resolved by segmenting each stage into at least 2 levels each and giving the player some additional way of interacting with enemies (a parry perhaps...?)
Aside from that the game is still excellent when it comes to the writing, presentation and music. It's ballsy, soulful, introspective and masterfully develops Travis Touchdown as a character while also being a tribute to (indie) games all over. It's also pretty funny to play coop and arguably the best way to experience it.
Anyway, now I'm going back to listening to 'Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes OST - Theme of Killer Marathon Feat. Marushow,surapurutame' on repeat, which is coincidentally what I was doing before replaying this game as well.
Check the game out (after playing NMH1 and 2) and crank the music up to 100 and the SFX down to 40, then return to this review and thank me please!!
And as Travis Touchdown always says (lest we forget):
10 HOURS OF GAMING A DAY!!!
Future Redeemed has its fair share of messy storytelling, but overall it left me satisfied as the true conclusion to the first Xenoblade Trilogy, practically doing everything I felt was missing from Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (which is a good thing??)
The music and locations are obviously great, it's Xenoblade.
The cast overall is great, much like the cast of 1 and 3. Matthew ended up possibly being one of my favourite Xenoblade characters by the time I hit the credits and both new faces and old made for an excellent party of wisened veterans and curious newcomers in a way that thematically compliments the base game.
The whole thing coming to an end made me feel wistful yet optimistic, Future Redeemed said goodbye in a way none of the previous entries of the game did and I'm left feeling like a fool for missing them, knowing full well that the entire series wants the player to look to the future.
Also where's Xenoblade Chronicles X-2 huh?? You can't hide from it anymore Tetsuya Takahashi, me and the 10 other people on the planet earth who care about Xenoblade Chronicles X are going to be spamming your inbox until we get Xenoblade Chronicles X-2, for the Switch 2, announced on the next Nintendo Direct. It's going to happen. Port Xenoblade Chronicles X to the Switch while you're at it.
And you BETTER bring back Hiroyuki Sawano dude. The future of X would be nothing without his stupid music. I NEED a bigger gun
The music and locations are obviously great, it's Xenoblade.
The cast overall is great, much like the cast of 1 and 3. Matthew ended up possibly being one of my favourite Xenoblade characters by the time I hit the credits and both new faces and old made for an excellent party of wisened veterans and curious newcomers in a way that thematically compliments the base game.
The whole thing coming to an end made me feel wistful yet optimistic, Future Redeemed said goodbye in a way none of the previous entries of the game did and I'm left feeling like a fool for missing them, knowing full well that the entire series wants the player to look to the future.
Also where's Xenoblade Chronicles X-2 huh?? You can't hide from it anymore Tetsuya Takahashi, me and the 10 other people on the planet earth who care about Xenoblade Chronicles X are going to be spamming your inbox until we get Xenoblade Chronicles X-2, for the Switch 2, announced on the next Nintendo Direct. It's going to happen. Port Xenoblade Chronicles X to the Switch while you're at it.
And you BETTER bring back Hiroyuki Sawano dude. The future of X would be nothing without his stupid music. I NEED a bigger gun
WHAT A LOVELY AND PLEASANT SURPRISE
I wasn't expecting much out of this game at all when it was announced. Even as someone who loves Bayonetta (even the 3rd game!) it looked to be a brief story game with rudimentary gameplay.
Little did I know this game oozes with charm at every turn, especially with its adorable storybook presentation. I had a lot of fun with the story and it's probably the most consistent one in the series so far. Almost everything here differs from what has been previously established as the brand of Bayonetta, yet it's all handled with such confidence and refinement that it knocked my socks off.
I definitely like Bayonetta more as a character (even though she's always been a favourite) now that you get to see a more human and insecure side of her grow up and I would not mind seeing more of this sub-series.
Also there are so many sequences in this game that take from the excellent RC Car segments from Ape Escape so that alone justifies this score.
I wasn't expecting much out of this game at all when it was announced. Even as someone who loves Bayonetta (even the 3rd game!) it looked to be a brief story game with rudimentary gameplay.
Little did I know this game oozes with charm at every turn, especially with its adorable storybook presentation. I had a lot of fun with the story and it's probably the most consistent one in the series so far. Almost everything here differs from what has been previously established as the brand of Bayonetta, yet it's all handled with such confidence and refinement that it knocked my socks off.
I definitely like Bayonetta more as a character (even though she's always been a favourite) now that you get to see a more human and insecure side of her grow up and I would not mind seeing more of this sub-series.
Also there are so many sequences in this game that take from the excellent RC Car segments from Ape Escape so that alone justifies this score.
2001
THEY MADE CHULIP FOR CHILDREN
Wait...this came out before Chulip . . . ? No no no that doesn't make any...
I'm glad I got to play a Chuliplike that was made for idiot babies such as myself. I got to finally appreciate a lot of the qualities that I liked about Chulip without getting broken down by its mercilessly hardcore PS2 game nature.
Wait...this came out before Chulip . . . ? No no no that doesn't make any...
I'm glad I got to play a Chuliplike that was made for idiot babies such as myself. I got to finally appreciate a lot of the qualities that I liked about Chulip without getting broken down by its mercilessly hardcore PS2 game nature.
2023
THEY MADE FINAL FANTASY 13 FOR STRAIGHT GUYS
While this may sound obtuse at first glance, I truly couldn't stop thinking about FFXIII in the last third of me playing this game. To me they're both packed equally with things to love and very sloppy writing, it is your predisposition that'll be the key in determining whether you end up liking the game a lot or not. Fortunately for me I liked both XIII and XVI despite their issues (yippie!)!
Most of my frustrations with the game are in its story, it reminded me a lot of FFIV (a game I consider to be a likely inspiration) but not in a particularly charming way, more so in its SNES-era "and then this happened" type of storytelling. I felt several beats could do with some more explaining and the finale only loosely ties into the narrative ambitions established at the start of the game.
My most prominent issue is with some of the character writing, most notably that of the antagonists. They range from "I'm craaazy!!" at worst (this goes 2/3 of the antagonists honestly) to "I want revenge/power!!" at best. It's appalling even by FF standards and out of the ones I'd played I'd only definitely rank them above the antagonists of FFX and IV I guess. Maybe they shouldn't have set up half a dozen nations each with their own leaders and cultures if the depth of their motive is going to match that of Scarmiglione from FFIV. This problem also extends to the character writing of most of the plot-centric women in the game, another dreadful contrast to some of FF's previous examples. I like Mid a lot but every other major girl is either an unstable/insane psycho or roughly as useful as the main protagonist's dog. And no peoples' problem with Jill isn't how she is as a person or that she isn't girlboss enough, it's her lack of agency and meaningful contributions to anything the protagonists are striving towards.
Anyway what was up with how they wrote Barnabas? Am I crazy or did he not say anything of note in the entire game? At least he looks and sounds pretty darn cool . . .
To round it off on a positive note - because I did actually like this game despite my issues and disappointment - the combat may outstay its welcome near the end of the game but it's ultimately a home run for the game, enhanced thoroughly by the sheer variety of bosses with unique movesets to tackle. The visual design language on certain boss moves being taken from XIV is brilliant and it's something I've wanted action games to do for a while now. It wasn't quite 7R it was close and I had a lot of fun with it. The set pieces are incredible and awe-inspiring, the story is fairly well paced too while also feeling packed with content, something that is sure to appease those who felt burned by XIII and XV (or even XII somehow!). The visuals, aesthetic, music, voice acting and prose is also downright excellent. Clive is pretty cool too.
That's all I got folks! Bring Yasumi Matsuno back
Maybe me finishing Final Fantasy Tactics War of the Lions a week before playing Final Fantasy XVI was a massive mistake oops hehe
While this may sound obtuse at first glance, I truly couldn't stop thinking about FFXIII in the last third of me playing this game. To me they're both packed equally with things to love and very sloppy writing, it is your predisposition that'll be the key in determining whether you end up liking the game a lot or not. Fortunately for me I liked both XIII and XVI despite their issues (yippie!)!
Most of my frustrations with the game are in its story, it reminded me a lot of FFIV (a game I consider to be a likely inspiration) but not in a particularly charming way, more so in its SNES-era "and then this happened" type of storytelling. I felt several beats could do with some more explaining and the finale only loosely ties into the narrative ambitions established at the start of the game.
My most prominent issue is with some of the character writing, most notably that of the antagonists. They range from "I'm craaazy!!" at worst (this goes 2/3 of the antagonists honestly) to "I want revenge/power!!" at best. It's appalling even by FF standards and out of the ones I'd played I'd only definitely rank them above the antagonists of FFX and IV I guess. Maybe they shouldn't have set up half a dozen nations each with their own leaders and cultures if the depth of their motive is going to match that of Scarmiglione from FFIV. This problem also extends to the character writing of most of the plot-centric women in the game, another dreadful contrast to some of FF's previous examples. I like Mid a lot but every other major girl is either an unstable/insane psycho or roughly as useful as the main protagonist's dog. And no peoples' problem with Jill isn't how she is as a person or that she isn't girlboss enough, it's her lack of agency and meaningful contributions to anything the protagonists are striving towards.
Anyway what was up with how they wrote Barnabas? Am I crazy or did he not say anything of note in the entire game? At least he looks and sounds pretty darn cool . . .
To round it off on a positive note - because I did actually like this game despite my issues and disappointment - the combat may outstay its welcome near the end of the game but it's ultimately a home run for the game, enhanced thoroughly by the sheer variety of bosses with unique movesets to tackle. The visual design language on certain boss moves being taken from XIV is brilliant and it's something I've wanted action games to do for a while now. It wasn't quite 7R it was close and I had a lot of fun with it. The set pieces are incredible and awe-inspiring, the story is fairly well paced too while also feeling packed with content, something that is sure to appease those who felt burned by XIII and XV (or even XII somehow!). The visuals, aesthetic, music, voice acting and prose is also downright excellent. Clive is pretty cool too.
That's all I got folks! Bring Yasumi Matsuno back
Maybe me finishing Final Fantasy Tactics War of the Lions a week before playing Final Fantasy XVI was a massive mistake oops hehe